It can lead to fevers
The more status you gain, the more afraid you are to lose it
The more you lose, the more afraid you are to show your face
And this fear is like any other sickness; it limits you
It debilitates you and risks being spread to others
To earn the trust of a society you must care for its health
And so you must guard yourself against the ill effects of status
Care for the spirit of society as you would for the health of yourbody
Whoever can do that, is worthy to lead
14
You can look at it, but you can't see it;?it has no color, nosize
You can listen to it, but you can't hear it;?it has no tone,no words
You can grasp it, but you can't hold it;?it has no texture, noshape
These three senses can not measure its depths
It passes beyond where they mingle and become one
One - there is nothing greater around it
Nothing smaller inside
It has no edge, no definition, no name
And it is constantly returning to itself
It is the form of formlessness
The image of imagelessness
Subtle and hidden
How can you follow what has no back
How can you lead what has no front
Stay with it, here and now, and you will find
The thread that runs unbroken from the ancient past
15
Those ancient masters who once walked the way
Were subtle, wise, profound, penetrating
Unfathomable;?they can only be described, not known
They were cautious, as though wading a winter-swollen river
Hesitant as though fearing to offend
Moderate as a guest
Difficult to grasp as melting ice
Supple in mind and body as a green branch
Fertile as a valley
Opaque as muddy water
If you take muddy water and still it, it gradually becomes clear
Let it come to rest, and it gradually comes alive
Hold to this way, nurture that hidden life
And you will never desire to be finished
And thus will never wear yourself out
16
Be completely empty;?be tranquil to the core
The creatures of the world are all born
And by this I see their deaths
Things pour forth from the earth and each returns to it
Know this and you know tranquility, for your own fate is clear
See what is, accept it, and you are free of all burdens
No good can come from rejecting this
Without such burdens you have no prejudice
Without prejudice you give to all equally and fully
Giving equally and fully is a step along the way
And being so, you will fear nothing to the end of your days
17
The greatest leaders are never seen, their presence is never felt
Lesser rulers are loved and praised
Lesser still are hated, and obeyed through fear
And the least are despised and ignored
If you would lead people, trust them to do the right thing
When a leader accomplishes something using the tao
He steps back, moves on to something else
And lets the people praise themselves
18
What happens when the nation wanders from the tao?
The people first try to be polite, assuming things will balance themselves
Then they try to be informed, or clever, or wise, and search for solutions
Then they turn to morality, like drowning men clinging to driftwood
And only after that, when the whole land is in turmoil
Do they throw up their hands and cry for strong and loyal leaders
19
Without morality and ethics, they will thrive
Without cleverness, they will treat each other honestly
Without politeness, they will respect each other
Where you can't see how these apply, cling to their essence
Treat people simply, directly, and caringly
20
Agreement and disagreement, beauty and ugliness
What does it mean to say these are different things?
As a man who is feared by others must inevitably come to be afraid
These things feed each other, endlessly
The multitudes are ecstatic, impassioned
Like they are on their way to a great fair
I am as unimpressed as an infant that has not yet learned to smile
Detached, as though I were wandering aimlessly over the earth
Such a fool am I
They have plenty while I am lacking
They see things clearly while I am unsure
Make fine distinctions that are meaningless to me
The multitudes all have their purpose and their place in life
I alone am uncultured, ill defined
I drift from one thing to another, without form or direction
In truth, though, I differ from them in only one thing
I want to be nourished by the great tao
21
All virtue is derived from the tao
Yet the tao's nature is changeable, elusive
Substanceless and formless, yet it produces all shapes
Formless and substanceless, yet it produces all things
Hidden, obscured, yet from it springs all purity, all clarity
From the present to the past
The thread has never disappeared
And through it we can see the workings of nature
How do I know this is so?
There is no how, I listen, and I know
22
Learn to bend, and you will never break
Learn to turn, and you will never fall
Empty yourself, and you'll be filled
Release yourself, and you'll be renewed
Own little, you can accomplish much
Own much, you will be bewildered by your choices
The taoist holds to the simple way and guides the world
Being reserved, he becomes noted
Being subtle, he shines
Being quiet, he is acknowledged
Being humble, he is long remembered
Because he does not compete, no one can overcome him
'Bend and you will never break'
Surely this phrase has merit
Who practices it will be whole, always
23
Nature rarely speaks
Gales don't last more than a morning
Downpours don't last more than a day
If heaven and earth can't make things last
How much truer is this for us?
So, to follow the way you must be like the way
When the time comes to act, act well
When the time comes to lose, let go
Act well and the tao will supply you
Let go and the tao will carry on
24
Raise yourself too high, and you lose your balance
Prominence does not come from putting on airs
Inner light is not made by clothes or jewels
Nor does respect come from boasts
Honor is not a thing you can claim for yourself
To the taoists all this is a waste
Like spending hours cooking food no one wants to eat
Why offer people air instead of substance?
Air is free, and only fools and flatterers will buy it
Do you want to be surrounded by fools?
Where you are is where you are
Live there
25
There was something formed and complete
Before heaven and earth were born
Quiet, still, pure, deep;?changeless and self-sufficient
Perhaps it is the womb in which the world grew
It has no name, properly speaking, though I call it the tao
If I had to describe it, I'd call it 'The Spirit of Quiet Motion'
It is never still in the here and now
Always leaving, always absent, always returning, always here
If the tao is like this, then so is heaven, and so is earth,
And so could be leaders, if they would be the spirit of a nation
Men conform to the actions of their leaders
Let the leaders conform to the patterns of the earth
As the earth conforms to the cycles of the heavens
And the heavens conform to the motion of the tao
And as the tao must, by necessity, conform to itself
26
As the heaviest part of anything must be at the bottom
So all activity must center on quietness
Only an idiot, while traveling, would wander away from his luggage
Until a safe and secure place is reached
So how can a leader treat a nation otherwise
Than as an extension of her own body?
Treat people as unimportant and they will think the same of you
Leave them behind to pursue your own interests, and when you look again
They will not be there
27
Skilled travelers always find the easy path
Skilled speakers talk freely, on any subject
Skilled counters never need to use paper and pencil
A door can be sealed with neither bolt nor lock
A knot tied without rope or cord, if you only know the skill
The taoist's skill is saving men,
He does this regardless of their aptitude for being saved
He never discards a useful thing simply because it needs a little work
And since every man thinks of himself as useful
The taoist needs only one attitude for all men
A skilled leader can create goodness in whoever comes to hand
And anyone, bad or good, can be his raw material
But fail to respect the material as much as the act
And nothing will be created, no matter how much effort goes into it
The point:
There is nothing more practical than faith
28
Know the male principle, but practice the female
You will be like a ravine that gathers all things into itself
And shelters all who enter
Hold to this virtue, and you'll be as soft and accepting as an infant
Know perfection, but let imperfection be
You will be like a valley in which all manner of things aregrown
Fertile ground for every thought, every action
Hold to this virtue, and you'll be as full of potential as uncarvedwood
Know brightness, but let yourself be dark
You will become a model of common sense and propriety
Quiet and respected
Hold to this virtue, and you'll live till the mother calls you back
Others become tools, carved into shapes that fit their functions
The taoist lets himself be used however is needed
Leads without a destination in mind
By not being shaped, the world shapes itself around him
29
Would you try to improve the way the world works?
You won't succeed
The way the world works is the mold by which it continues working
Nothing else can make it work
You can follow it and you can use it
But try to mold it, and it will slip through your fingers
Some things are fast and some are slow
Some are hot and some cold
Some are strong and some weak
Some rise and some sink
So the taoist allows for all these things
Preferring none over the other
30
Whoever the tao aids in leading the people
Does not rely on weapons and violence
Armies consume, and destroy, and nothing more
A true leader uses them only at need
Lives with the destruction they create only as long it is needed
And so achieves his ends without using force
When armies are used for gaining profit, or pride, or glory,
Or to show the martial prowess of leader and nation
They serve only to fill heads and empty bellies
This is imbalanced, and must be held like that at great cost
This is not the way, sooner or later will collapse of itself
31
Weapons are dangerous tools for all concerned
Natural creature do not use them
If you must use them, don't let them take hold of your mind
At peace it is the earth that is important, the feminine principle
At war it is heaven, the essence of the male
Therefore weapons and war are not the tools of the taoist
If you must use them remain calm and detached
Never look upon them as things of beauty
To do so would mean that you delight in the slaughter of men
You would never be able to lead the land properly
In happy events we honor the richness of the earth
In sad ones we turn our eyes to heaven
Since every soldier's mind, and every general's, is on the weather
It is clearly an occasion of sadness
Whenever multitudes are killed, the taoist grieves
Victory or defeat, it's all a funeral to him
32
The tao is ever nameless
Though it naturally seems small, no one would dare to try and captureit
If the leaders of the world could be one with it
All the creatures of the earth would bow down before them
And manna would spring from heaven and earth equally for all
Though no one insisted upon it
Failing that, of course, things must be named and put in some kind oforder
As soon as you start to establish order, however
You must know when it's time to stop, so nothing can go wrong
The great tao flows into the world
As water flows into streams, then rivers, then oceans
There comes a point when it's self-defeating to try and control it
33
Knowing others is knowledge; knowing yourself is wisdom
Conquering others is strength; conquering yourself is power
Wanting more is ambition; stopping at enough is wealth
Having it all makes a full life; leaving and being honored, that ishaving lived
34
The tao floats and drifts whichever way it likes
It does what it wants, without proclaiming itself
All things depend on it, but it is not their master
It has no desire, and thus is small
Yet since all things depend on it, and it does not rule them
It is magnificent
So the taoist attempts great works with no thought of being great
And thus accomplishes his ends
35
Rest in the tao and the whole world will come to you
They will suffer no harm, but find safety and peace
The curious will stop where they see music and games and food
But will soon lose their taste for it and wander on
The tao, though, has no flavor, no color, no sound
It is easily missed, yet once found
It is inexhaustible
36
What you want to shrink;?let expand
What you want to weaken;?let grow strong
What you want to avoid;?let approach
What you want to own;?give away
Honestly done, this is subtle and effective
It is how the weak overcomes the strong, how the few lead the many
In the end, a leader leads because people consent to it
And force will never be as effective as engaging simple cooperation
37
The tao is ever nameless
If leaders could be one with it
The world would transform itself
Wherever it is restless and troubled
It could be soothed by simple anonymous actions
